I am all about beautiful website design. I mean, I do design ready-to-use templates for a living. Thing is – having a beautiful website just isn’t enough. You need a strategy behind everything. Otherwise, your website will just be beautiful and not a lead-pumping machine like it should be.
Today we’re going to dive into how you can create a homepage that converts, so that all of the people visiting your beautiful site are taking action. Grab a cup of coffee (or tea!) and let’s dive in -
Tip 1 | Don’t assume anything
You cannot assume that your visitor knows anything at all about your business (or website). Instead, you should assume that they don’t know what you do, aren’t sure how to get started and have zero clue about the services you offer.
That’s why it’s extremely important that you set your homepage up to help your visitor from the very start. Make it clear what you do right up front, show them how to take action and be sure to point out anything you offer for free that might help them (that way, you'll gain their trust from the very beginning).
The key is to make things as simple as possible for them, so they can focus on taking action instead of figuring out what you do.
Tip 2 | Introduce yourself
People feel most comfortable purchasing from or working with someone they feel like they know. If you introduce yourself on your homepage, you're getting a head start by helping someone feel comfortable right away.
You don't have to go into your full story on the homepage, but instead can do just a quick introduction that leads to your About Page where they can learn more.
Where you place your introduction is up to how you structure your homepage - you can do it right up front (under your banner image) or towards the bottom after you've introduced exactly what it is you do, along with your services. Just make sure it’s there somewhere!
Tip 3 | Provide a glimpse into the most important pages on your site
This is similar to what I said above about having a quick introduction about yourself on your homepage and then providing a CTA to learn more on your About Page.
You’ll want to do this for the most important parts of your site - i.e. your services, free materials you offer, your shop page, your blog, etc.
By giving a quick intro into the rest of your site, you make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for without overcrowding your site. It’s also a good way to introduce your services right up front.
Tip 4 | Cut down on the amount of content you have on your homepage
Too much content looks cluttered. And let's face, no one's going to read it all. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
If you’re lucky, your visitor is going to give a quick glimpse over your site so remember – your homepage is NOT a blog post. You don’t have to go into crazy detail.
Take the time to find a way to say what you want your audience to know in a few key sentences. And make sure those sentences tell your visitors what you do, how it helps them and what action they should take next.
Always make sure to highlight the most important stuff - make it bold, change the color, increase the font size - add design elements to what's most important to help it stand out.
Tip 5 | Add social media links
Before I tell you why you MUST have social links on your homepage, I want to let you know that you don't have to do this in an obvious way. It can be a simple as adding icons in your footer or including a glimpse at your Instagram photos - do whatever matches your sites design.
So, now - the reason you want to do is this is because, like I said before, people want to get to know who they're buying from, before they actually make a purchase. It's rare for someone to land on your site and purchase from you right away or sign up to work with you.
Usually, they're checking you out on social channels, maybe signing up for your email list, reading your blog posts, watching your videos, etc. They want to know who the person behind the business is, so let’s make it as simple as possible for them!
Link to your relevant social media - i.e. the social channels you actually use. If you post on Instagram once every month, don't link it! Only post to channels you use frequently and want your ideal buyer to see.
And, there you have it! That’s what to include in a homepage that converts! Any questions? Have another idea? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!